Finalizing the detainees exchange depends on Kiev's position - Kobtseva

LUGANSK, November 29 (Lugansk Media Centre) – Finalizing the detainees exchange and appointing its date depends on the Kiev's position, said LPR representative in the Contact Group humanitarian subgroup Olga Kobtseva.

Earlier she said that LPR and DPR are ready to hand over 74 detainees to Ukraine within the framework of the exchange provided for in the Minsk Agreements.

"We would like to expect that Kiev reciprocates and observes its announcements. We expect it. Everything will depend on the Kiev representatives' position," said Kobtseva.

"Hopefully, we shall discuss the date today and settle all technical details related to the process."

In a telephone conversation with LPR and DPR leaders Igor Plotnitskiy and Alexander Zakharchenko on 15 November, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Ukrainian special representative for humanitarian issues Viktor Medvedchuk’s initiative to carry out the '306 for 74' prisoner swap in the near future. The LPR head told the Russian president that the Lugansk People’s Republic was ready to discuss prisoner exchange issues and that it was awaiting Kiev’s reply to these initiatives.

The exchange of captives between Donbass Republics and Ukraine is one of the key issues of Minsk Agreements.

The Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements was adopted by the Contact Group on Ukraine on 12 February 2015 and supported by member states of the Normandy Four (Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France). The UN Security Council approved the document by its 2202 Resolution and called upon all the sides to ensure full implementation of the Package of Measures.

The document provides for comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of all heavy weapons from the contact line, starting a dialog on reconstruction of social and economic ties between Kiev and Donbass. It also envisages carrying out constitutional reform in Ukraine providing for decentralization and adopting permanent legislation on a special status of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.